Vegan Date Squares

Date squares are a classic in any good recipe box. These deliciously sweet squares bring me back to my childhood which is why I wanted to come up with my own healthier version of this timeless dessert. Traditional date squares almost always contain all-purpose flour as well as lots of butter and sugar. I have swapped out the all-purpose flour for a mix of spelt flour and ground flaxseeds, the butter for coconut oil and all the sugar for just a bit of maple syrup. These healthy ingredient swaps will however, not take away from the deliciousness of a classic date square, I promise. These are also very simple to make and make for a great vegan desert. 

Here is how these date squares are made:

We will begin with the date layer. Coarsely chop the dates. In a medium sauce pan, combine the dates, water Himalayan pink salt and the freshly squeezed orange juice.

Let cook over medium heat, stirring very often, until the dates are broken down and form a thick puree. This should take about 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on the mixture while it cooks since the high level of natural sugar in dates can cause the mixture to burn very quickly. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. I like to transfer the date puree into a different bowl and place it in the refrigerator while I make the crust and crumble.

Now let’s move on to the crust and crumble mixture. Place the coconut oil on a plate and let sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes or until very solid. In a small blender or food processor, place 1 ½ cups of rolled oats. Blend until the oats become a coarse flour. In a large bowl, add your freshly made oat flour, the ½ cup of whole rolled oats, the spelt flour, ground flaxseeds, baking soda and Himalayan pink salt.

Stir to combine the dry ingredients. 

Add in the maple syrup and cold coconut oil.

Using a pastry cutter, cut in the coconut oil. You are looking to have very fine pieces of coconut oil throughout the dry ingredients. I don’t really recommend using your hands for this part since the coconut oil can melt quite quickly. 

Let’s move on to the assembly of the date squares. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line it with a piece of parchment paper. I like to leave a bit of overhang as this will make it easier to remove the dates squares from the pan once they are cooked.

Scoop out 1 ¼ cup of the crumble mixture and set aside. It will be used later for the crumble topping.

Press firmly the rest of the mixture in the bottom of your prepared pan.

Next, spread the cooled date mixture evenly over the crust.

Lastly, crumble the reserved crust mixture over the date layer. Give the topping a very light press to the topping sticks to the dates.

Place in your preheated oven and baked for 40-50 minutes. You are looking for the top to be a light golden color. Remove from the oven at let cool completely. They will be easier to slice if they are room temperature. Using the parchment overhang, remove the date squares from the pan. Cut into squares.

Serve and enjoy!

Print

VEGAN DATE SQUARES

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Cooling Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 9 servings

Author Véronique - adashofwholesome.com

Ingredients

For the date layer:

• 2 1/2 cups Medjool dates , pitted
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan pink salt , or sea salt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice , about 2 to 3 large oranges

For the crust and crumble:

• 2 cups rolled oats , divided
• 3/4 cup spelt flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan pink salt , or sea salt
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup coconut oil , cold

Instructions

For the date layer:

1. Coarsely chop the dates.

2. In a medium sauce pan, combine the dates, the water, the Himalayan pink salt and the freshly squeezed orange juice. 

3. Let cook over medium heat, stirring very often, until the dates are broken down and form a thick puree. This should take about 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on the mixture while it cooks since the high level of natural sugar in the dates can cause the mixture to burn very quickly. 
4. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. I like to transfer the date puree into a different bowl and place it in the refrigerator while I make the crust and crumble.

For the crust and crumble:

1. Place the coconut oil on a plate and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until very solid.
2. In a small blender or food processor, place 1 ½ cups of rolled oats. 
3. Blend until the oats become a coarse flour.
4. In a large bowl, add your freshly made oat flour, the ½ cup of whole rolled oats, the spelt flour, ground flaxseeds, baking soda and Himalayan pink salt. Stir to combine the dry ingredients. 
5. Add in the maple syrup and cold coconut oil. 
6. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the coconut oil. You are looking to have very fine pieces of coconut oil throughout the dry ingredients. I don’t really recommend using your hands for this part since the coconut oil can melt quite quickly. 

The assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and line it with a piece of parchment paper. I like to leave a bit of overhang as this will make it easier to remove the dates squares from the pan once they are cooked.

3. Scoop out 1 ¼ cup of the crumble mixture and set aside. It will be used for the crumble topping.
4. Press the rest of the mixture firmly in the bottom of your prepared pan. 
5. Spread the date mixture evenly over the crust. 
6. Crumble the reserved crust mixture over the date layer. Give the topping a very light press so the topping sticks to the dates.
7. Place in your preheated oven and baked for 40-50 minutes. You are looking for the top to be a light golden color. 
8. Remove from the oven at let cool completely. They will be easier to slice if they are room temperature. 
9. Using the parchment overhang, remove the date squares from the pan. 
10. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!